Meet the 5 Muslim women who fought the battle against Triple Talaq in Supreme Court

The controversial Muslim practice of Triple Talaq, that allows a man to leave his wife immediately by uttering ‘talaq’ thrice, has been banned by the Supreme Court.

The court today called it illegal and unworthy. According to a NDTV report, a panel of five judges said that triple talaq “is not integral to religious practice and violates constitutional morality”.

Several Muslim women who have been divorced on phone, through letters and even via WhatsApp had argued that the practice was “unlawful” and appealed to the top court to end it.

Five judges of different faiths – Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice Kurian Joseph, Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice S Abdul Nazeer – heard the case over five days from May 12 to May 18.

The judgement came two years after Shayara Bano from Uttarakhand first approached the top court after her husband of 15 years sent her a letter with talaq written thrice and left her. Petitions of four other women were tagged with Bano’s petition.

Let’s take a look at the petitioners:

Shayara Bano

Video Courtesy: YouTube

The main plea in the case was filed by Shayara Bano. The 36-year-old petitioner is battling multiple ailments following several abortions, received a talaqnama (divorce) by post while she was staying with her parents in Kashipur, Uttarakhand.

In her petition, Bano argued that “the Muslim husband’s right to ask for divorce by uttering talaq three times in a row is completely unilateral, unguided, absolute and has no rationale.

Ishrat Jahan

Video Courtesy: YouTube

30-year-old Ishrat Jahan’s husband uttered talaq three times over the phone. She was left at the mercy of her extended family in Howrah.

The husband also took away her four children. She fought back to prevent his second marriage and was attacked too.

BMMA

Video Courtesy: YouTube

A third petition, titled ‘Muslim Women’s Quest for Equality’, was filed by the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), led by Zakia Soman.

The BMMA argues that Allah says men and women are equal and the practice of triple talaq is wrong.

Gulshan Parween

Video Courtesy: YouTube

Hailing from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, Parween got a divorce notice on a Rs 10 stamp paper when she was visiting her parents in 2015.

According to a NDTV report, Parween said, “My husband felt like it one fine day and suddenly both my two-year-old son Ridan and I were homeless.”

She refused to accept the notice, after which her husband approached a family court.

Aafreen Rehman

Video Courtesy: YouTube

Rehman got married in 2014 after meeting her husband through a matrimonial portal. “After my marriage, my in-laws started harassing me and demanded dowry,” she said, according to an ANI report.

“Later they even started beating me and in September 2015 they asked me to leave their house.” After she started living with her parents’, Rehman received a letter via speed post announcing a divorce.

“This is completely wrong, unfair and unacceptable. I’ve filed a petition in Supreme Court seeking the court’s intervention in the matter,” she had said last year.

Atiya Sabri

She was also divorced on a piece of paper. She approached the Supreme Court in January challenging her divorce. She has two daughters aged four and three.